Murder in the Dark
by thegirlwiththedreams
Summary: A secret game of murder in the dark reveals a lot of secrets for the exceptional students of Gallagher Academy and Blackthorne Institute. Secret crushes, a love of guacamole, nerd problems, and arm-wrestling are just the beginning! Read on and you will find out how one slightly scary childhood game can tell more than anyone else thought!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey guys! I got this awesome challenge from the GGFC forum, in the prompts, so I got some inspiration for this little fiction. Please read and review! :)_

It was late at night in the Gallagher Academy. The teachers had resolved themselves to the fact that on this night, there was no one sneaking around in the majestic halls of the premier spy school. As professionally trained spies, they had right to believe so. They could sniff out sneaking teenagers faster than you could say "encryption".

However, the problem was that the girls (and boys) who currently resided in the Gallagher Academy were highly trained at doing just that-sneaking. And besides, with Liz's pink bunny slippers that detected footsteps of anyone trying to catch them sneaking out of bed, the odds were definitely on their side.

Why were four (usually) rule-following girls sneaking out of bed? The answer was quite simple-and also, tall, dark, and handsome. Yes, the Blackthorne boys were the ones drawing the girls out of their quiet room. Well, all except for Macey. She was in it for the amazing guacamole dip that the Blackthorne students were rumored to make when having a late-night rendezvous. Yes, Macey McHenry was beautiful, but she was also extremely weird.

"Are we almost there?" Liz whispered, or rather yelled, to be technically speaking.

"Yes!" Bex hissed, sounding more like a cat than ever. "Now be quiet, or I might have to deliver the new roundhouse kick I've been practicing to one of the security guards."

Cammie chimed in next, her whisper as soft as a breeze, "Are you sure they were telling the truth? You know Zach, he probably set us up. He's awful!" Cammie fumed at the last bit.

Macey muttered under her breath, "Don't you mean awfully hot?" Macey, Bex, and Liz snickered, and Cammie, whose thoughts clearly had been elsewhere, turned around, screeching as quietly as she could, "What? What are you guys laughing about? I swear I'll-"

Bex took that as a moment to change the subject. And, it turned out, she had a good reason for doing so. "Hey guys, look! I think I see it!" She gestured to a small little hole, barely big enough for them to squeeze through one at a time. "I wonder how the guys got in here. The space is only big enough for a girl's physique.

Macey, surprisingly rattled off. "There's a entrance in the boy's suites. As the east Wing is mostly unused, even before the boys came, not many people know that there's actually a secret passage there." The three other girls looked at Macey in disbelief. The tall girl shrugged. "Hey, I have my moments."

Bex rounded on Cammie. "You know every secret passageway in and out of this place. Why didn't you tell us when we walked by? I almost missed it!"

Cammie tried to hide the blush forming on her cheeks. "I do n-I do not know every single passageway! Besides, why would I want to stop you?"

Bex cocked her hip. "You may be a really good liar during Covert Operations, Cammie, but you know you're absolutely awful at lying to your best friends. If I ever decided to turn into a double-crossing agent, I'd wheedle everything I needed to know right out of you." The other girls gave her a look. She coughed. It wasn't good to joke about that stuff at a spy school that held over half of the U.S's most confidential information. She threw up her hands. "Ok, sorry, bad joke. Not planning to double-cross anytime soon. Besides, if I did, I know you girls would knock sense into me before that happened." The girls pondered that fact thoughtfully. Yeah, that was pretty true. "Anyway," she said, "We all know Cam is denying the fact that she's in love with Zach Goode."

And despite being part of the world's premier espionage institution, the other girls crooned to Cammie, "_Looove…. Luvreeee… Cammie and Zach are in luvre….._"

They didn't realize how loud they were being until a dashing boy with messy mahogany curls and devastatingly gorgeous green eyes climbed out of the tunnel with a wry smile on his face. "Me and Cammie are what?"

_Thanks for reading! Check back next time for the next chapter of Murder in the Dark_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey readers! Thanks so much for the reviews! I love you guys so much! So here's a chapter I wrote when I was supposed to be studying for midterms! (Plus, see if you can get the reference to the fourth book...)_

"Zach!" Cammie said, her face blushing redder than the lights on Code Red.

Zach gave an easygoing smile. "Why yes, here I am."

Bex gave a toss of her silky black hair, and her chocolate-brown, almond-shaped eyes glittered. "You said to meet you here at 11…it is 11…"

"11 o'one," said Zach, a serious expression on masking his wide grin.

Bex rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Just let us in."

Zach leaned back casually onto the entrance. "Y'know what, I don't think so."

Liz looked like she was considering a way to plant an explosive in Zach Goode, and Bex had the face she got when she was about to judo-flip someone, but Macey held up her hand. "Wait," she said. Macey's sharp, gray eyes bored into Zach's green ones. They looked like they were going to kill each other with their with their minds when she final said, with absolute certainty, "Cammie, you have to kiss Zach."

"WHAT?" Cammie screeched, Liz and Bex's voice mingling with Cammie's in similar indigence. Macey, however, looked quite calm. A smile played on Zach's lips, but he didn't say anything.

Cammie whispered to Macey. "Why? Why him, of all people?" On an afternote, Cammie turned to Zach. "Umm…sorry. No offense or anything..."

Zach shrugged indifferently. "None taken, Gallagher Girl."

Cammie lowered her voice and turned to Macey. "But why?"

Macey gave a careless roll of her shoulders. "I don't know! I just know that's what it's going to take."

Cammie sighed and grumbled angrily. "Seriously? Fine, just wait…Zach?"

"Hmm?" said the boy, who had been watching with amusement.

Cammie spluttered. "Do-do I have to?"

Zach gave a smile that Cammie couldn't quite read "Hey, Gallagher Girl, I don't make up the rules. Miss McHenry over here did." He motioned to the slim girl with wavy black hair.

Cammie shot Macey a look that said she had better check her orange juice in the morning, or she might find Dr. Fibb's new poison in it. However, Cammie closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. "Ok, fine, I'm ready."

She shuffled forward awkwardly. For a second, they stood there silently. An electric charge seemed to hang in the air. Nobody even breathed. All that could be heard was Liz shuffling her feet anxiously.

At almost the exact same time, the two leaned in.. The girls could feel themselves waiting in anticipation, hearts pounding. No one's heart was louder though, than Cammie. She hoped Zach couldn't hear the crazy thump of her heart, faster even than Liz with sugar.

She had to stand on her tiptoes to kiss Zach. It was a good thing Madame Dabney had taught them _en pointe_ (for both dancing purposes, and so they could seen into embassies with high windows), otherwise she would never be able to stand at the same height of Zachary Goode. A flyaway curl lay by his eye messily, and she had the overwhelming urge to brush it out of his face. She shook her head. What was wrong with her?

By the time, she looked back, he was so close she could smell his shampoo, and she realized that if she ever got this close to Zachary Goode again (which was quite unlikely), she would never be able to get over that clean, amazing smell.

Then, at last, they were leaning in, and as his head tilted, she felt hers do the same, and he was going to kiss her-

On the cheek? She felt his lips land lightly on her cheek, then pull away. She couldn't help but feel disappointed-she had wanted him to kiss her. Or, well, she meant, she just wanted to be kissed in general. The last person she had kissed was Josh, and that felt like years ago. That was all, really- she could never, and would never like Zachary Goode like that.

Yet why hadn't he kissed her? And why did she feel so disappointed?

Clearly her comrades felt the same way. At least, about her first question. The second one they would never think to ask, unless Liz had somehow developed that mind-reading machine she was always talking about making. Cammie was glad Liz hadn't made it. The bad thing about Liz's machines was that they were shockingly accurate, and right now, she didn't want her roommates to find out what she thought about Zach Goode.

"Hey, why didn't you kiss Cam? You know that'd you be amazing for each ot- I mean, you'd both be amazing friends for each other." If there was one thing Bex was good at, it was telling a good cover-up. Meanwhile, Bex gave a pout, and put her hands on her hips, not the cutesy way she usually did, but rather, angrily and slightly threatening.

Zach gave a noncommittal toss of his head, then gave Cammie a wink. "Hey, a boy doesn't kiss…on the cheek and tell. I guess you'll never find out, Baxter."

Bex's eyes flashed angrily, and she had a look that would have scared any drug cartel in South America. (Trust me, it's been proven. You don't even want to know about freshman year…) "Just let us in, Goode."

Zach stepped aside. "Go right ahead. Ladies first…" he said calmly, as if there had not been an almost-kiss just moments ago.

They all filed into the small hole. The passage was dusty with cobwebs, and occasionally spiders that made the girls cover Liz's mouth so she wouldn't shriek. After ten minutes of crawling that made Cammie feel like she had bad rug burn coming on, they emerged in an opening about the size of the classroom.

"Whoa," Cammie said appreciatively, "I like what you've done with the place."

The last time Cammie had been in the secret passageway over the East Wing, it had been empty and dusty. Now, beanbag chairs lined the wall, there was a small portable DVD player, a small lamp spilling light from overhead, and to Macey's utter delight, a bowl of chips, with a side of guacamole.

"Oh yes! I love guacamole!" She ravenously shoved chips and dip into her mouth, but when the girls gave her a glance, she shrugged. "What? My third nanny, Esperanza, got me on this guacamole kick. I still love it."

Cammie heard a boy's voice from the other side of the room, and the girls jumped as Zach crawled out of the ventilation pipes. "The other guys should be here in a minute-"

Cammie stared in disbelief. "How'd you get in from there? Their pipes go to the high ceiling in the Great Hall. There's no way you could reach them without-"

"Jetpack shoes?" he said calmly.

"Zach!" Cammie hissed in indignation. "Those are from Dr. Fibb's lab! There's only a few existing in the world, and if he was to find out they were missing-"

"Relax, Gallagher Girl," he said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She couldn't help the fact that her heartbeat sped up unconsciously. "Dr. Fibbs won't even notice they're gone! Or the other pairs, for that matter!"

"Others?" Cammie screeched, about ready to explode. "Why would you have to have other pairs of jetpack shoes?"

"Ah," said a voice that came from the corner from where Zach had come out of. "That may be Jonas's and I's fault…"

_Thanks for reading, come back soon! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey y'all! Here's the newest chapter of this fanfic…I apologize if it's kind of bad, hopefully it's not too awful. I hope you do like it though! :)_

The handsome, tanned face of Grant emerged from the corner of the room. The low light made his cinnamon-toned skin glow even more than usual. Cammie thought Grant was attractive, but not really her type. He was a little too good-looking for her tastes. She noticed, with a smirk, that Bex's normally-composed face seemed to be blushing a little. Bex was _so _getting it later, especially about her earlier remarks on Zach. That made her fume a bit as she thought about it. She most certainly _did _not like him. Even if his eyes were dreamy. And his hair was gorgeous. And his skin-

Ok, that was enough. Maybe she did like him. But only a little.

She turned her gaze to the other boy, a little bit behind Grant. He had messy, wavy bright red hair, large glasses, and light blue eyes. Cammie thought he was cute, in a puppy-dog sort of way, but she saw Liz looking down at the ground, tapping her feet nervously. She couldn't help but giggle. What had gotten into her friends?

"So," Zach said, clapping his hands together decisively. "Everyone know each other?" Despite attending classes together, the girls and boys of Gallagher Academy and Blackthorne Institute hadn't talked much.

There was silence. Nobody seemed ready to disclose any information to the others.

Macey, who had been off to the side shoving guac into her mouth, a little pile of crumbs at her feet, groaned and said, "Fine. If you're going to be that afraid to talk to someone of the opposite gender, I'll go first. Macey McHenry, sixteen, the daughter of two of the worst people on this planet. Any questions?"

Everyone shook his or her heads resolutely. You didn't mess with Macey McHenry.

Bex, not one to being outdone, cleared her throat and said in her rich, slightly accented voice, "Bex Baxter. And if I ever catch you using Rebecca, you'll be flat on the ground before you can finish." She gave a toss of her hair, and then smiled flirtily, "Well, except for you Grant. You go right ahead."

Grant gave Bex a wink back. "Grant Sanders. Sophomore, spy…and single." Grant's eyes flickered for a second to Bex, who giggled in a most un-Bex way.

Then, there was a pause for a few seconds as every waited to see who would go next. Then, in the exact same moment, Liz and Jonas both started talking. They both blushed furiously. Jonas gave a light cough, and said, shyly, "Ladies first," Meanwhile, Macey rolled her eyes. "Ok, enough cute! If you guys want to stare into each other's eyes dreamily, be my guest, but I've got some amazing guacamole I'd like to finish by this spring."

Liz, now the color of a firetruck, started speaking softly, "Well…I'm Liz Sutton. And…I guess I'm okay at school." Cammie nearly rolled her eyes at Liz's modesty. Okay at school? That was probably the biggest understatement of the century.

Jonas shyly spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "Jonas Thompson. Basically…what Liz said." Then he averted his eyes to the ground, which was actually quite good, because Liz looked like she was about to have a heart attack that he had said her name.

Cammie's eyes turned to Zach, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. It was one she had never seen on him before, and something about it made her heart beat quicker. Even after years of learning to read facial expressions, she couldn't tell what lay hidden behind his green eyes. However, before she could look any more, Zach turned away and spoke to the group, his normal, easygoing tone in place, like nothing had happened a second before. "Zachary Goode. Well…I'm a spy." That was all he said, and nobody seemed to question his abnormally short description but Cammie as he turned to her expectantly.

Cammie ran a hand though her hair as she spoke. "I'm Cammie, and I go to Gallagher." Everyone seemed to wait for more, but she stood there silently, indicating she was finished. If Zach wasn't going to give a good description, neither was she.

"So," Bex said, to break the silence that had formed. "Let's get this party started!" She then did a very bad impression of Fergie, which made everyone groan. Bex's (awful) impersonations were world-renowned. After she was done, nobody clapped except for Grant, who gave a round of applause.

Zach's auburn curls lazily fell over his brow as he got up from where he had been sitting on one of the beanbags. "I have an awesome idea on what we should do. It's a game that is played only by the most highly-skilled people…Murder in the Dark!"

Cammie snorted. "Seriously, Murder in the Dark? That's a game that first-graders play at birthday parties. Really, Goode?"

Zach gave her an ominous expression, much unlike the one he usually wore. "Do not mock it, Morgan! Along with our other excellent curriculum at Blackthorne, besides learning full combat, and being _very_ good-looking," (Zach gave a dashing smile while Cammie rolled her eyes.) "We also are highly-trained in the art of Murder in the Dark." He paused for a second, a contemplative expression on his face. "Well, if you think about, it's not just figuratively, but also literally. In fact-"

Cammie rubbed her temples. "Seriously Goode, just either shut up or move on!"

Everyone turned and looked at her. She gave an slightly embarrassed cough, and then said, remembering all her lessons with Madame Dabney, she said, in a sweet voice that only her best friends would know as her sarcastic one, "Ok, Zach, will you _please_ shut up and move on?"

Liz gave a short, tinkling laugh as Cammie waited for Zach to respond. "Whoa, you must really hate this kid if you give him the fake voice…"

"But…" Bex said in a high-pitched singsong voice.

"Oh no," Cammie muttered, "here it comes…"

Together, in chorus, they said, "You know what they say…'Love and hate…both feelings of strong emotions'…"

Bex snickered. "And I think we all know what feelings you have…for Zachie-poo!"

Cammie gave them a look that burned more than Dr. FIbb's heat-seeking missiles, before she said with a slight cough, and one more warning glace to her roommates, "So Zach…you were umm…saying?"

Zach seemed like he hadn't heard a thing, but he gave Cammie a curious glance before he began speaking again. "So…you all know how it's played, right? One person's the murdered, one's the detective, and the rest are poor, innocent bystanders in the wrong place at the wrong time-"

Cammie gave Zach an impatient look. "We know, Goode! Get on with it al-"

Zach put up a warning hand, as though he was a professor dealing with ignorant, inept students. "Hold on Gallagher Girl. Let me explain."

Then, with a hint of his usual, wry smiles, he said, "There's the normal version of Murder in the Dark…and then there's the Zachary Goode version. I'm pretty sure you've never heard anything like mine…"

And with that, the explanations began. By the time that Zach was done explaining, everyone involved groaned. It was going to be a very interesting time…but then again, when the Gallagher Girls and Blackthorne Boys were together, it always was.

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to be better at updating! Also, please review, follow, and favorite. Come back next time for more Gallagher Girls craziness!_


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